Human Resource Executive®, producer of the HR Technology
Conference & Exposition®, has increased its footprint in the Asian
marketplace with the acquisition of Singapore-based HRM Asia Pte
Ltd., a business unit of Diversified Communications.

HRM Asia, a multi-platform network providing an array of content
to HR professionals of all ranks in Asia-Pacific, will globally expand
the portfolio of HRE and its parent company, LRP Publications,
beyond its annual HR Tech China Conference. Assets attained include
HR Summit & Expo, Smart Workforce Summit and the HRM Asia
Congress Series. It also includes the annual HRM Readers’ Choice
Awards, HRM Magazine and digital content.

“As the leader in HR-technology conferences and content, this
acquisition is a logical progression in our global growth plan,”
says Rebecca McKenna, vice president of global events and
HRE’s publisher.

Kenneth Kahn, president of LRP Publications and LRP
Conferences, adds the move enables the company “to reach even
more HR professionals, regardless of where they are in their
career path, by delivering quality global content, locally.”

—by Michael J. O’Brien

Maine Bans Marijuana Discrimination

Two years after the state approved recreational-marijuana use,
Maine has banned adverse employment action based on a
worker’s use of marijuana, provided such use occurs off-site.

The new anti-discrimination provisions of the law prohibit
employers from refusing to employ or penalize any person age
21 or older based on that person’s consuming marijuana outside
the employer’s property, though on-site consumption can still be
regulated. It is the first provision of its kind nationwide.

Dale Deitchler, a shareholder in Littler’s Minneapolis office,
says that, while the general nationwide trend is toward the
legalization of marijuana, he doesn’t expect widespread anti-discrimination provisions similar to those in Maine.

There are multiple considerations for employers in Maine
that may want to continue testing applicants for marijuana, he
says, “ranging from whether an employer wants to be a ‘test’
case to adverse media attention to risk tolerance for the potential
that a marijuana-impaired employee could cause irreparable
and catastrophic loss.” Alysia Melnick, policy director for the
Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, notes that Maine
continues to be an at-will state.

—by Michael J. O’Brien

Weighing Raises, Promotions

Do employees prefer a payout or a promotion?

According to a recent Korn Ferry survey, the money wins out:
If given the choice, 54 percent of 850 workers polled would opt
for a raise without a promotion, while 46 percent would prefer a
promotion and no raise.

The survey findings were hypothetical, but participants also
weighed in on the state of real-world promotions. About 65
percent hadn’t gotten a promotion in the previous year, with 57
percent citing a lack of growth opportunities as the reason.

Tom McMullen, senior client partner at Korn Ferry, says the
company has consistently found the No. 1 reason workers exit a
job is a perceived lack of career-development opportunities.

HR can take the lead in helping managers set goals, and
provide ongoing feedback and coaching, McMullen says. “More
frequent sit-down discussions on [employees’] hopes, needs and
aspirations can be key to keeping them engaged and retained.”

—by Jen Colletta

Can IntegratedHealthcare Work?

High-quality service. Improved access. Lower costs.

That’s what CVS Health
hopes to achieve by acquiring
the insurer Aetna, which
awaits the approval of industry
regulators and shareholders of
both companies.

But time will tell whether
this deal offers substantial
savings and benefits to
employers and their workers.

So far, experts say, the track
record of healthcare mergers
or acquisitions intending
to improve consumer
experiences and drive
efficiencies has been mixed.

The concept behind the

$69-billion deal, experts say,
is that by managing both
the medical and pharmacy
benefits of patients, the
combined company can better
coordinate treatment, which,
in turn, will lower healthcare
and pharmacy costs for both
consumers and employers.

Part of its strategy includesgrowing the number of CVS’community clinics—calledMinuteClinics—inits nearly 10,000retail stores.

There are 1,100

MinuteClinics
inside CVS
Pharmacy and
Target stores
in 33 states and
the District of
Columbia. Since
their 2003 launch,
the clinics have
recorded 34-million visits.

Jim Winkler, chief
innovation officer at Aon
Health Business in Nor walk,
Conn., notes that, because
CVS and Aetna are also active
players in the Medicare
marketplace, the combined
company could create
new alternatives for how
companies with significant
retiree populations can offer
them healthcare.

However, many details are
still unknown: Will employers
have to use both Aetna and
CVS to maximize this new
ecosystem? Will HR need to
change its plan designs or
strategies? Should co-pays stay
the same when visiting either
a doctor or a MinuteClinic?

According to a new Aonsurvey that asked 450 HRleaders about the CVS-Aetna implications on theirhealthcare strategies, 85percent expect significantor moderate changes inhow or where people willaccess healthcare. Another

60 percent are likely to make
changes to their healthcare
strategies, with 38 percent
adopting a wait-and-see
approach.

New deals are also being
proposed between Optum
and DaVita Medical, while
Optum’s MedExpress and
Walgreens Boots Alliance are
launching urgent-care centers
in Walgreens stores.

Brian Marcotte, president
and CEO at the National
Business Group on Health in
Washington, says integrated
systems could produce more
insight into the efficacy and
value of drugs; improved
health outcomes that
incorporate value as a metric;
and better drug compliance
among patients.

However, he notes,
other healthcare companies
that consolidated made
similar promises that never
materialized.

Julie Stone, practice leader
in the health and benefits
practice in North America
at Willis Towers Watson,
wonders if such systems
will produce fewer, larger
players in the market, making
it harder for employers to
negotiate pricing.

Stone doesn’t envision the
combined company offering
any immediate challenges for
HR professionals, including
those with employer-sponsored plans.

But that may change in

2019.

“Benefit managers and HR
leaders should look at this
when it seems to be more
real,” Stone says.

—Carol Patton

IN BRIEF

In 2016, workplace fatalities in the U.S. increased by

7 percent over the previous year, according to the
Census of 2016 Fatal Occupational Injuries report
issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That translates to 5,190 employee deaths on the
job for the year, representing the highest number of
fatalities since 2008. The most-common fatal event
involves transportation.

Other findings include:A 32-percent increase in overdoses from the non-medical use of drugs and alcohol while on the job;

A 9.9-percent increase in deaths among workers 55
or older;

An 18.6-percent increase in deaths among black or
African-American, non-Hispanic workers;

A 40.4-percent increase in deaths among Asian,
non-Hispanic workers;

A 6-percent increase in deaths caused by falls, slips
and trips;

A 19.9-percent increase in homicides, the highest
since 2010;

And a 5-percent increase in unintentional workplace
deaths, such as exposure to harmful chemicals.